Tyson and Marks: ham fist meets kosher ham

Two years ago I'd have laughed in the face of anyone who said one of the high points of writing a movie blog for The Reader would be time spent with a sports figure in town trying to reinvent himself with a one man show.

After my interview with Mike, I was genuinely looking forward to seeing Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth and even more jazzed at the prospect of meeting Mike in person afterwards. Approximately 100 people milled about the Balboa Theatre after the show waiting to go backstage and have their picture taken with Mike.

We were told that no one would be allowed to personally have a photo taken with him. A professional photographer was on hand to snap the pictures which would later be posted on a website for fans to download.

A traditional photo shaking hands with Mike or one with my arm slung across the Champ's shoulder simply would not do. I thought of bringing a pair of earmuffs to the photo op, but wasn't sure how that would have played out. In retrospect, Mike probably wouldn't have minded in the least bit.

The stagehands struck the set in less time than it took to get a picture with Mike. When the fellow ahead of me asked Mike for a posed punch, I immediately snapped into action. I think you'll agree that the 45 minutes spent waiting was well worth it.